Uncovering the Truth: Why your 3D Model isn’t a Digital Twin (yet!)

Let's talk about a widely used BIM buzzword du jour, the 'Digital Twin'. Often misunderstood and used interchangeably with '3D model', we at The BIM Kitchen want to dig our spoons in deeper to uncover what it really means.

Produced a fancy 3D model
- it's not a digital twin!
Laser scanned your building and have a point cloud
- it's not a digital twin!
Created an LOD 400+ model and prefabricated
- it's not a digital twin!

These are all brilliant examples of BIM, but there is more to be added to the recipe for cooking a real 'digital twin'.

What ingredients do I need for a Digital Twin?

BIM is a great foundation but it needs to come alive and kicking in the present moment for it to become a digital twin. The essential additional ingredients are:

• Real-time data synchronization between the real-world physical asset and virtual counterpart

  Imagine you are eating a meal with a live feed of what you ate, who you were with, any reactions to your body, etc. being sent to a digital database. It's constantly capturing data based on the present moment. 
  
  

• Bi-directional interaction with continuous data flow between the physical and digital asset

  Now imagine, as you eat your meal you notice the temperature in the room is becoming too high or you want to invite somebody else to join you. This can be dynamically controlled from the digital representation; or changed manually.
  
  This bi-directional ability creates a feedback loop whereby the physical asset informs the digital twin (a sensor alerts the digital twin that the temperature is too high); and the digital twin controls the physical asset (based on the real time alert, a signal is sent to lower the temperature). For this, user-friendly applications and interfaces need to be established to allow people to interact with the data. 
  
  

Think of BIM as being a snapshot in time of static information-rich data. Having accurate as-built geometry and asset information is the base upon which the digital twin is formed. The digital twin then brings live real-time flavours to the pot, transforming the ingredients to become optimal for service. 

What is the value of a Digital Twin?

Digital twins are super tasty and go way beyond visualization! Since they are alive and continuously capturing data, this data becomes the secret sauce to fuel predictions and optimizations. 

The data can integrate with Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI) where patterns can be identified, scenarios can be run and foresight can be gained to provide advance warning of issues and make informed strategic decisions. This intelligent, dynamic model allows for:

• Predictive maintenance

  With so much valuable data being captured, algorithms can forecast potential failures or performance drops, allowing maintenance to be scheduled proactively.
  
  

• Operational optimization

  The digital replica allows for simulation and optioning to take place in a risk-free environment. Here, testing of process improvements can be made to optimize operations.
  
  

• Accelerated design development

  Knowing the true performance of an asset during it's operational life, provides insights and valuable information that can be taken on board for future designs.
  
  

Bridging the gap between the virtual and physical worlds, digital twins are an incredibly helpful tool for unlocking the often missed value from the lifecycle of an asset, beyond the design and construction phases. 

What does a Digital Twin mean for a project?

The difference between a 3D model and a digital twin impacts the budget, data requirements and value on a project. A digital twin requires:

• Ongoing investment/ budget 

  Investment is needed for devices, data infrastructure, platforms, integration services and maintenance. The earlier a digital twin is known to be intended for a project, the easier it is to install the required devices and infrastructure during the construction phase.
   

• Robust data infrastructure 

  Infrastructure is needed to maintain reliable connections between the physical equipment and systems through wired connections, wireless networks and edge computing devices. This is crucial for quality and speed of real-time data exchange.
  
  

• Long-term value gain 

  More and more value is gained through operational performance optimization, predictive maintenance, energy management and continuous improvement over the lifetime of the asset.
   

Digital twins represent a powerful technology that really makes use of the "gold" of the BIM world - data! By understanding what a digital twin truly is, appropriate expectations, budgets and value propositions can be made. 

Final note

Your '3D model' isn't a 'Digital Twin' just yet, but with the right data infrastructure, devices, integrations and analytics, it can come alive, change as needed and mature tastefully  (much like a 100 year old sourdough starter) and that's a recipe worth cooking!

So, do you have spectacular models or are you cashing in on data with digital twins?

Hungry for more honest conversations about BIM, digital twins, and construction technology? Pull up a chair at The BIM Kitchen where we're always open to serve up the truth, one tasty topic at a time.